


Let Me Tell You A Story, Commander

by lackadaisical_and_indecisive



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Cute, Destroy Ending, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-18
Packaged: 2018-02-08 15:54:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1947120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lackadaisical_and_indecisive/pseuds/lackadaisical_and_indecisive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The war was over, reapers were destroyed and now Shepard is left in hospital. She hates it but admittedly the greatest part of her day is the visits from a certain turian's father while the other is away. Tales ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so this is the first fanfiction I have written in ages. Hopefully it's pretty, you know, okay. Always open for feedback.
> 
> I wrote this for myself as I wanted to explore that tension between Garrus and his father. So that's what you can expect in chapters to come.

“Commander Shepard,” Shepard was surprised to hear the voice as she lay in her hospital bed, looking out in the rubble that had once been London. Despite the destruction that met her eyes she could almost feel a smile form on her lips. She did it. It was over and she had done her job.

She turned her head to look at her new visitor to see a turian very similar in colour and shape to Garrus standing at her hospital door. He was maybe a little shorter than Garrus but he still had the same coloured plates and the same calculating eyes. She felt he could read the face of any known species, knowing exactly their intention just from the upturn of their eyebrow. She would say it was from his time as a C-Sec officer but it seemed to be more than that. He just seemed to have a natural talent for reading people like they were books.

“Please, Mr Vakarian,” She said with a small smile. He might not be the Vakarian she was dating but he was still good company and God did she need the company. “I’ve asked you before. You don’t have to call-”

He held up at hand dismissing her request quickly, shaking his head. She would have found the dismissal rude from anyone else but after the last few months of his visits she had realised that he was not being rude, this was just how he was.

“Please, Commander,” He said, sitting down beside her hospital bed. This time he had a datapad in his hand, he placed it on her bedside table. He made it a point of bringing her datapads every time he visited as he realised she got bored from doing nothing in bed all day. “You earned your title of Commander and I will not disrespect it.”

She opened her mouth to argue but closed it again. There was no point to arguing with him, that he had earned the right to call her her real name but he would just continue calling her commander. She didn’t think she would ever fully understand turians or maybe it was just the Vakarians. She nodded at him and then at the datapad he brought this time.

“Another turian tale?” She asked with a curious eyebrow raise. Mr Vakarian had made it a point to bring her some classic turian stories and some were just his favourite stories. She would have to constantly ask about certain themes and happenings in the books but Mr Vakarian was patient and explained the stories to her. They had become her 101 class in turian culture and she quite enjoyed them. Especially seeing as Mr Vakarian was a great teacher and story teller.

“Yes, this one though,” He said with a flare of his mandibles. “Has a little of bit of personal history. Garrus used to love this story.” He explained. “He would drive his mother mad begging her to read the story and whenever I was home he and I would sit up all night to read it all.” Shepard laughed softly trying to imagine a little Garrus driving his parents up the wall. It wasn’t hard. She had seen Garrus and his father go at it constantly since they had both arrived on Earth a few months earlier. “As you can imagine that was a long time ago. Anyway, I’m sure when you read it you’ll understand why Garrus loved it.”

She smiled, cocking her head slightly at him. “Why is that?” She asked, curiously.

Mr Vakarian gave her the equivalent of a turian smile again, picking up the datapad with the story on it. “Tell me, Commander, who does this remind you of? ‘Tulsia had a talent for trouble,’” He began to read the blurb. He described the tale of a young turian girl who was weirdly independent for her young age. It seemed that this was the first instalment of a series of books describing the adventures of an adventurous young turian.

Shepard listened until the end and she had to admit she saw how a young Garrus might fall in love with the tale. She laughed and nodded, “Yep, you got me. That does sound like Garrus.”

Mr Vakarian raised a brow plate her and shook his head. “No, Commander, it sounds like you. I will admit that when I first heard that Garrus had joined your crew I was a little surprised. Then I heard what you were like from Garrus and other sources alike and I knew why then. I think he’s always admired like people like you and Tulsia. Determined, compassionate, independent, courageous.”

Shepard nodded, thinking about it for a bit. “But you have to admit, Garrus is like that too.” She said. Now she was just plain curious to read the story.

“There isn’t any denying it but I think a lot of that is your influence, Commander,” He said, his mandibles flanging out again in a smile. He leaned back in his seat, weaving his hands together in front of him. “You bring out the best in him, though it seems this happens with many of the people in your command.”

She bowed her head a little bit and nodded. She wasn’t usually shy about her accomplishments but that’s what Mr Vakarian did. He made your smallest accomplishments feel like mountains and your downfalls feel like cliffs. She could understand why Garrus felt like he was a disappointment to his father with that kind of pressure but she didn’t exactly blame Mr Vakarian either. He was doing all that he knew and it seemed he didn’t know he had that kind of effect on people. Maybe he did, maybe that was what he used to push people to be better. She didn’t quite know.

“Thank you, sir.” She said, accepting the compliment.

“No, thank you. I’m sure Garrus wouldn’t have turned out as half as good without your influence.” He said, rubbing his chin with his hand. She studied him. His plates had faded to a softer shade of blue due to his age but his eyes hid the intelligence and wisdom of a man that had seen it all.  “I’ll be the first to admit my flaws, especially raising Garrus. I was too hard on him a lot of the time. Don’t tell him though,” He said with humour on this voice, “He wouldn’t let me live it down.”

Shepard laughed softly and nodded her agreement not to tell him. “I think it should be something he hears from you anyway.” She raised her eyebrows in suggestion and Mr Vakarian laughed and nodded.

“Yes, you’re right. I _should_ tell him.”

They sat for a few moments in complete silence, it wasn’t entirely uncomfortable. They both looked out the window onto the rubble city that was only just started to look normal. The first building to be rebuilt after the reaper attack was the one they were in now. It used to be an office building but they turned it into a make-shift hospital mainly because most of it stood and they needed somewhere to house the sick, wounded and dying. Temporary housing had been set up around the hospital for those who had lost everything to live. Buildings that still stood were also converted to shelter and trading centres.

Mr Vakarian had to admire the human’s resilience. He wouldn’t lie, he had always questioned humans abilities especially when he served through the Contact War. But now, after seeing them working with the other races and providing shelter and food, he couldn’t help but admire them.

About a month ago many of the species had been able to travel back to their own systems but until that time they had to rely largely on what the humans could provide. Shepard had watched many of the goings from her window and she felt a tinge of reject not being to be out there to help out but doctors insisted she needed to heal, emotionally and physically.

Mr Vakarian looked at Shepard and gave another turian smile. He sat forward a little, his arms leaning on his legs. “Let me tell you a story, Commander.”


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also sorry this is really short. I just had no idea what to start off with. I had this whole other chapter written which I did not like at all, it was like one big dead end. So, I will try to write at least this much and more in future. Thank you :)

Mr Vakarian had helped Shepard to her feet, his arm a prop for her to walk against. Since her physical therapy had started a few weeks before she had taken every opportunity to get up on her feet and walk around the hospital. There were no green hills or nice foyers to sit in but a change of scenery was always welcome.

They walked slowly through a sleek, white hallway. The hospital had to be the only clean thing left as it was cleaned regularly.

Vakarian couldn’t help but notice as people immediately stepped out of his and Shepard’s way. At first there would be cheers and awe filled expressions shown to the hero but as time wore on and they saw her more often, it became normal to just move on and continue with what you were doing. Though there would always be that air of admiration every time she walked passed. She would probably live with that until the day she died.

Shepard smiled and looked up at the older Vakarian. “So, what’s that story you wanted to tell me, Mr Vakarian?” She asked curiously.

“Patience, Commander,” He scolded as if she were a child again. That’s exactly how he made her feel, like she was ten again, being told off. “I’ll tell it to you when we find a comfortable spot.”

Shepard rolled her eyes and chuckled, “But, sir that could take years. Especially with my legs.” She said in good humour. Her limp at the moment was on par with Jokers and she didn’t know if she would ever fully regain her previous motor functions.

Mr Vakarian laughed also and led her to a chair in the waiting area of this ward. She took the seat with a huff. She crossed her legs and faced towards the turian that sat beside her.

The turian sat down, mimicking her actions slightly. He had his hand on his chin as he looked around the waiting room. There were a hand full of people in here. A mother holding her child as they slept propped up against each other and another person slumped slightly in the seat, datapad in hand.

“Where to start?” He asked, scratched his chin a couple of times before his hand went back to his lap. He looked at the Commander who was waiting to hear a story. He looked over at the mother and child sleeping and nodded. The very start might be an adequate place.

* * *

I looked at my wife, Silea, with wide eyes. With the proper hindsight I could tell I was being a little ridiculous. I stood stock still. My limbs went stiff.  


“Spirits damn you!” Silea screamed at me. She was clutching her swollen stomach. Her pale, cream coloured mandibles pulled tight to her face and her mouth barely moving when she spoke. “What use are you?” She growled at me. “Get me to the hospital, you idiot.”

I snapped out of my trance and nodded. I helped her hobble to the car, arm around her waist. She was spitting insults and phrases, saying things like she would never let me do this to her again. I tried to contain my laughter as she spat insults at me.

She groaned in the seat beside me, sweat beating on her neck. I looked over at her and tried to take her hand in mine. Immediately she snapped it away from my grasp and hissed, “Don’t touch me. That’s how you got me into this mess.”

I snickered and put my hand back on the wheel. I could feel her glare boring into the side of my head. “Sorry,” Was all I muttered as I continued to drive to the local hospital.

I pulled up quickly and raced around to the other side of the car where Silea was already trying to hobble out of the door, her stomach becoming quite the hindrance to her mobility. Quickly, I had to grab her arm before she fell flat on her arse again.

As we made our way into the building, staff members seemed to notice our struggle and quickly came to our aid with a wheelchair. They wheeled Silea away to the maternity ward. She turned around to look at me with wide eyes.

For someone who was cursing my existence mere minutes before she looked like she really needed me.

* * *

“Silea cursed me for 18 hours straight,” Mr Vakarian laughed. He smiled, fondly remembering the occasion, “Then when Garrus was finally born she instantly went into mother mode, cooing over Garrus. She wouldn’t let anyone touch him and totally ignored anyone that came to visit. She was the same with Solana.”  


Shepard smiled brightly at the tale. “You wouldn’t happen to have any baby photos would you, Mr Vakarian?” She asked curiously.

Vakarian was deep in thought about Silea by then. He missed her and her hot temper. He had a feeling her Shepard might have gotten along quite well if things had gone differently.

He finally process what she had said and nodded, pulling out his omnitool and forwarding her some pictures. “He was a very cute baby. Though everyone said he looked like me from the day he was born so he couldn’t be that cute.” He joked, filing through some of the photos and transferring them to her.

Shepard flipped through the pictures she received, letting out complimentary ‘aw’s and generally cooing over the baby pictures of Garrus. She loved looking at them all, especially the ones with his mother and father and sometimes sister. “Sir, I wouldn’t say that. I think once you get passed the deadly aim, you Vakarians can be quite cute.”

Another jolt of laughter joined the fray and Shepard looked up to see Garrus crossing the space. He walked with his usual swagger and raised his brow plate slightly at his father and girlfriend, wondering what they could possibly be doing.

“Hey, Shepard. Dad.” He said with a nod to his father.

“Oh hey, Garrus,” Shepard smiled, as he bent down and to kiss her gently. Shepard had learnt long ago kissing a turian wasn’t anything like kissing a human. For starters their lips weren’t as pliable as humans. But really she didn’t mind, “Your dad was just showing my some baby photos.”

She grinned and picked a particularly embarrassing photo and showed him. With a groaned he tried to shut it off and looked away.

“You just had to show her, didn’t you?” He asked his father with a sense of light humour. His father only shrugged and smiled.

“What can I say? I just wanted to show how cute you were before you went and got yourself all banged up.” He said, with a challenging glint in his eyes. He stood finally, just when Shepard thought a few quick quips would be exchanged. “I better go. Solana will be expecting me for dinner.”

Shepard stood, using Garrus as her support and rested an arm on the older Vakarian. “Thank you for today, sir.”

He placed a hand over Shepard’s and nodded, “It’s always my pleasure Shepard.”

With that he left, a final thought dragging through his mind.

Silea would have loved her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the change from third to first person, I did that as a bit of a trial. I don't know if I will stick with it. I don't usually like writing first person but Iunno it felt right in this. I guess I was just trying something new. I might fiddle around with it more but yeah I don't know.


End file.
